The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 eBook

Milton was the portrait, already described, which
had been left to Lamb. Lamb gave it as a dowry
to Emma Isola when she became Mrs. Moxon.

“My meeting with Dodd ... Malvolio story.”
In the essay “The Old Actors,” in the
London Magazine for February, 1822 (see Vol. II.
of this edition).

“Our chief reputed assistants.” Hazlitt
had left the London Magazine; Scott, the original
editor, was dead.

De Quincey, whose Confessions of an Opium-Eater
were appearing in its pages, has left a record of
a visit to the Lambs about this time. See his
“London Reminiscences.”

“Hartley.” Hartley Coleridge, then
a young man of twenty-five, was living in London after
the unhappy sudden termination of his Oxford career.

Here should come a brief note to Mrs. Norris, dated
March 26, 1822, given in the Boston Bibliophile edition.

Here should come a letter from Lamb to William Godwin,
dated April 13, in which Lamb remarks that he cannot
think how Godwin, who in his writings never expresses
himself disrespectfully of any one but his Maker,
can have given offence to Rickman. This reminds
one of Godwin’s remark about Coleridge, “God
bless him—­to use a vulgar expression,”
as recorded by Coleridge in one of his letters.
Lamb also said of Godwin (and to him) that he had
read more books that were not worth reading than any
man in England.]

LETTER 285

CHARLES LAMB TO W. HARRISON AINSWORTH

[Dated at end: May 7, 1822.]

Dear Sir,—­I have read your poetry with
pleasure. The tales are pretty and prettily told,
the language often finely poetical. It is only
sometimes a little careless, I mean as to redundancy.
I have marked certain passages (in pencil only, which
will easily obliterate) for your consideration.
Excuse this liberty. For the distinction you offer
me of a dedication, I feel the honor of it, but I
do not think it would advantage the publication.
I am hardly on an eminence enough to warrant it.
The Reviewers, who are no friends of mine—­the
two big ones especially who make a point of taking
no notice of anything I bring out—­may take
occasion by it to decry us both. But I leave you
to your own judgment. Perhaps, if you wish to
give me a kind word, it will be more appropriate before
your republication of Tourneur.

The “Specimens” would give a handle to
it, which the poems might seem to want. But I
submit it to yourself with the old recollection that
“beggars should not be chusers” and remain
with great respect and wishing success to both your
publications

Your obe’t. Ser’t.

C. LAMB.

No hurry at all for Tourneur.

Tuesday 7 May ’22.

[William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882), afterwards
known as a novelist, was then articled to a Manchester
solicitor, but had begun his literary career.
The book to which Lamb refers was called The Works
of Cheviot Tichburn, 1822, and was dedicated to
him in the following terms:—­“To my
friend Charles Lamb, as a slight mark of gratitude
for his kindness and admiration of his character,
these poems are inscribed.”